Sat Nav versus Android
 

Hi,

I'm shopping for a new XC90 and trying to decide if I need the £300 Android Auto option.

I think the only reason I'd want it would be for Google Maps.

How does the built-in Sat Nav compare?

Thanks,
Lee

New Nav in the SPA cars is good, live traffic is a game changer - although sometimes the ability to not choose a route before commencing annoys me.

I don’t have the Android auto option on my V60, can’t see what I would use on it TBH, and certainly not for 300 quid!

You can even do Google searches and then use the inbuilt nav to get there.

I decided to go for the smartphone integration (Apple Car Play for me). Was £6 per month extra on my lease so I worked on the basis that I was more likely to regret not getting it than getting it if that makes sense.. Was in 2 minds and don't use it as much as I did in previous car as I now use the built in Spotify and as roundy says the sat nav is good. I do sometimes use it for the Apple podcast app and also if I don't need directions but want live traffic then I use the Google Maps. As roundy also says live traffic on the built in nav is good but I just trust Google more.

Just be aware that the car needs to be connected to the internet to use the live traffic

Can anyone comment on how they find the accuracy of the built in live traffic compares to Google or Waze

Personal experience:

2 months 2800 miles covering Zone 2-6 London, Major Scottish/English towns along A1, M3, M4, M5, Country roads in Scotland, Bristol, Cornwall (high hedges didn't trigger AEB like those VW tiggies), Dorset etc.

Never used Google, ALWAYS built-in Sat Nav.

Sometimes it is as stupid as any other Nav app (choose narrow roads over motorway, despite selected "fastest" not "shortest" route), but so far very relaxed to use, never dangerous (like TomTom 10 years ago asking you do U-turn on dual-carriageways).

I have paid for Android/Apple, in case we need it in the future...

A great feature of the Volvo Satnav is the ability to set a destination from the comfort of your armchair and send it to your car using the VOC app.
When I first got my XC90 2.5 years ago my satnav was not very good but they have improved it a great deal with updates and I cant really fault it now. It also works via voice control (with a few voice recognition glitches now and then)

Is Internet Connectivity an option or is it standard? I don't recall ever reading about that.

You can connect to internet via your phone or add a data sim to the incar modem. The car does not need a connection to send destinations from the VOC app.

I find the built in nav to be useless even when connected to receive ‘live’ traffic updates. Stationary on the M4 for 20 mins - still green on the screen.

I’ll continue to use Waze.. Normally (for a laugh) I use them at the same time (Waze on my phone in a cradle so I can see it). A typical journey out of London is around two hours - exactly as predicted by Waze. The in-built nav will be miles out - it has no idea of traffic at all and the proposed routes are comedy gold.

At least in Belgium, the carmodem is part of the VOC option.

I've got Android Auto on my 2018 V90.

Much as I prefer using Google maps over Volvo's built-in version, the Android Auto user experience is a massive mess. The whole system is deliberately crippled by Google locking the touch screen after a few taps, for "safety reasons".

Want to enter a destination in Maps? Unless it's one of your saved or recent destinations, you're out of luck. Feel like selecting some music? You'd better hope that it's on the first few lines of your list of albums or artists.

Google's answer is that you must use voice control, however in my experience it only works very occasionally, maybe one time in five. Even pulling over and putting the handbrake on doesn't remove the "voice control only when in motion" screen-lock message a lot of the time.

Google are well aware of the fundamental problem with AA as is shown by the hundreds of complaints on their forum. Why they insist on blocking the screen, when Volvo, that bastion of automotive safety, has no such restriction on their own system is beyond me. It actually encourages irresponsible behaviour as I'm sure many will just take their phone from the glovebox/armrest and use it directly.

Even their deadly rivals down the road in Cupertino don't have such a restriction on CarPlay apparently. Oh well, it's an iPhone for me next time.